Fellowship of Reconcilationhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/taxonomy/term/7251/all
enTrident opposition by multi-faith group during month of actionhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23211
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<p>On 27 June 2016, an alliance of people from different religious traditions will take action against nuclear weapons at the factory where they are made.</p>
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<p>On 27 June 2016, an alliance of people from different religious traditions will take action against nuclear weapons at the factory where they are made.</p>
<p>Opposition to nuclear weapons transcends borders, race, creed and religion.&nbsp; During the Month of Action at Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire, groups representing different faiths will join together in the campaign to scrap Trident renewal and support a ban on all nuclear weapons. (<a href="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23134" title="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23134">http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/23134</a>) The interfaith gathering will include Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Nipponzan My?h?ji, as well as others.&nbsp; People of all faiths and none are welcome.</p>
<p>A final decision on the replacement of Trident is due later this year, with leading anti-nuclear groups and academics saying that it will cost £205 billion or more over its lifetime.</p>
<p>There has been a blockade of the factory, including a permanent camp set up, since the start of June.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Mohammed Ansar, Muslim broadcaster and activist said: "Weapons of mass destruction, which might only be deployed at a time of pre-emptive action to take life on a massive and indiscriminate level, must be opposed. There is no sense and little humanity in such warfare and the idea of taking of innocent life on such a scale, let alone at all. Spending hundreds of billions on upgrading a weapons systems, at a time when we have one million people at foodbanks and punishing austerity measures targeting the poorest communities, the vulnerable and the disabled, is unconscionable.</p>
<p>"If nothing else, the message of Islam and the completion of holy revelation is that we as people and as societies have an obligation to support and seek out peace. For people of faith and good conscience, the ambition is to create conditions leading to peace, not warfare; of unity and to oppose prejudice and division."</p>
<p>&nbsp;Emma Anthony, membership and outreach officer for Christian pacifist charity the Fellowship of Reconciliation, said: "Trident has to go. Killing – or even just the act of threatening to kill – hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of civilians just to make a political point is inexcusable. Threatening to commit mass murder is not the kind of message we want to be sending to other countries. Nuclear weapons make the world a more dangerous place and the UK must take the opportunity later this year to scrap Trident, otherwise we cannot, without immense hypocrisy, expect other countries not to build or maintain their own nuclear weapons. If the UK were ever in a situation to use nuclear weapons, Trident would have failed as a deterrent, so it’s of absolutely no use even if we were comfortable with the horrendous immorality and financial cost of it."</p>
<p>She concluded: "As a Christian, I believe it’s morally, economically and strategically wrong to replace Trident. We need real security like hospitals and to slow down runaway climate change, not wasting money and scientists on building cold war relics."</p>
<p>* The Month of Action is organised by <a target="_blank" href="http://tridentploughshares.org/">Trident Ploughshares</a></p>
<p>* Fellowship of Reconciliation <a href="http://www.for.org.uk/" title="http://www.for.org.uk/">http://www.for.org.uk/</a></p>
<p>[Ekk/4]</p>
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Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefatomic weapons establishmentBurghfieldFellowship of Reconcilationopposition to tridenttridentTrident PloughsharesUK NewsFri, 24 Jun 2016 22:20:33 +0000agency reporter23211 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukThe Drones Quilt: stitching for Noorhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18346
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<h1 class="title">The Drones Quilt: stitching for Noor</h1>
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<p><a href="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18346" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Peace and NonviolenceNews Briefdronesdrones quiltFellowship of ReconcilationquakersBlogMon, 29 Apr 2013 20:12:26 +0000Jill Segger18346 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukCampaigners welcome motion of concern over Droneshttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/15076
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<p>The Fellowship of Reconciliation, England, has welcomed the notice of motion on Drones passed by the Methodist Conference on 7 July.</p>
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<p>The Fellowship of Reconciliation, England (FoRE), has welcomed the notice of motion on Drones passed by the Methodist Conference on 7 July 2011. FoRE began campaigning against the destructive impact of military armed drones last year because of their association with high civilian casualties, legally questionable ‘targeted killings’ and the danger that they create a ‘Playstation Mentality’ to warfare.</p>
<p>The Motion says: "The Conference expresses concern at the increased use of 'drones' as weapons delivery platforms and especially at the evidence from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza that such use places civilians at increased risk of injury and death.</p>
<p>"The Conference asks the Joint Public Issues Team to make a preliminary study in order to guide the Conference of 2012 on the particular ethical issues relating to these weapon systems."</p>
<p>The passing of the motion was strongly supported and welcomed by Mr Denis Beaumont, Chair of the Methodist Peace Fellowship and a Trustee of the Fellowship of Reconciliation.</p>
<p>The debate was addressed by the Rt Rev Humpfrey Peters, Bishop of Peshawar, Pakistan, who said that "for every targeted individual killed by a drone, around 10 other civilians are killed."</p>
<p>The Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Millius Palayiwa said: “Armed drones are not in fact the precision weapons that arms manufacturers portray. They often kill indiscriminately, leaving ordinary lives devastated. The passing of this motion is a great boost to the Fellowship's campaign against the use of these weapons." </p>
<p>The Fellowship of Reconciliation is a spiritually-based movement committed to active nonviolence as a means of personal, social, economic and political transformation. FoR England (FoRE) is part of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). </p>
<p>FoR's report, Convenient Killing: Armed Drones and the Playstation Mentality, is available here: <a href="http://www.for.org.uk/files/drones-conv-killing.pdf" title="www.for.org.uk/files/drones-conv-killing.pdf">www.for.org.uk/files/drones-conv-killing.pdf</a></p>
<p>The UK government has deployed Reaper drones in Afghanistan since 2007 and currently has four in operation, while other drones intended for UK forces are in development by BAE Systems. UK forces also rent Hermes 450 drones from Israel on a “pay-by-the-hour” basis. In May 2011 the British government committed to double the UK’s fleet of Reaper drones, at a cost of £135 million</p>
<p>[Ekk/4]</p>
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Living EconomyPeace and NonviolenceNews BriefdronesFellowship of Reconcilationmethodist conference 2011UK NewsMon, 11 Jul 2011 14:33:53 +0000agency reporter15076 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk Suffolk Quakers offer an 'Alternative View' for Armed Forces Dayhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/15013
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<p>Quakers in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, have chosen to offer an 'Alternative View' exhibition on Armed Forces Day.</p>
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<p>The organisers of Armed Forces Day which takes place on Saturday 25 June and which is now in its third year, have invited the nation to “show your support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving troops to service families and from veterans to cadets.” Parades, fly-pasts and ceremonies will be held throughout the country. </p>
<p>Last year, David Cameron urged “an explosion of red white and blue all over the country.” and will this year join Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, members of the Royal Family and senior army officers at an event in Edinburgh.</p>
<p>Quakers in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, have chosen a different way. They are putting on an exhibition entitled 'Armed Forces Day: an Alternative View' which will look at some of the causes of conflict and at non-violent means of conflict resolution.</p>
<p>The exhibition will include the work of the Ecumenical Accompaniers in Israel Palestine and the training in peacemaking and conflict resolution undertaken by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. It will consider the effect which climate justice, fair trade and a more ethical foreign policy could play in reducing the injustices which lead to conflict.</p>
<p>Jill Segger, a member of Bury St Edmunds Quaker Meeting and an Associate Director of Ekklesia said: “We believe that we can best show our care for the courageous men and women of our Armed Forces and for their families by stimulating debate on the causes of conflict. By questioning the assumption that the only response to conflict is always armed intervention, we hope to be faithful to our Peace Testimony and to offer an alternative expression of genuine support for our military personnel which does not involve pageantry or the display of weapons”.</p>
<p>The exhibition can be seen at the Quaker Meeting House in St John's Street between 2-6 pm on Saturday 25 June.</p>
<p>[Ekk/4]</p>
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Peace and NonviolenceNews BriefArmed Forcesarmed forces dayclimate justiceconflict resolutionecumenical accompaniment programmeFellowship of ReconcilationpeacemakersQuajersUK NewsFri, 24 Jun 2011 17:26:58 +0000staff writers15013 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukBuddhist peace activists come to Oxfordhttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/14340
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<p>Monks and nuns from Plum Village peace community in the South of France have brought their experiences of Buddhism's art of awakened living to Oxford.</p>
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<p>Seven young monks and nuns from Plum Village peace community in the Dordogne region of the South of France, students of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, visited one of England's National Centres for Peace and Justice in Oxford on Sunday 13 March 2011. </p>
<p>The disciples shared their personal experience of Buddhism's art of awakened living, and talked about the 'beloved community' as a form of social transformation. </p>
<p>The visit was a formal part of their 'UK Wake Up' tour, during which the brothers and sisters are mainly visiting UK higher education institutions with their lessons in peace and mindfulness.</p>
<p>The vistors spoke at the headquarters of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, England (FoRE), Peace House, prior to their speaking at Mansfield College, Oxford. Their presence reminded many attendees of the long-standing connection between the host charity's Fellowship movement and the students' world-famous master and best-selling author. </p>
<p>Remembering these decades-long connections himself, Thich Nhat Hanh gave the visiting monks and nuns a framed calligraphy artwork to pass on to FoRE. The artwork reads 'Peace is Every Step', and will be placed on the wall of the main meeting room at Peace House.</p>
<p>In 1968 The International Fellowship of Reconciliation, of which Oxford-based FoRE is a Branch, invited Nhat Hanh on a speaking tour seeking an end to the war in Vietnam. This was the beginning of his appearances across America and Europe. Together with Alfred Hassler, IFOR's General Secretary, he founded a new movement called 'Dai Dong', which attempted to bring about a coalition of peace and human rights organisations with scientists concerned about environmental problems. </p>
<p>Dai Dong pointed to the inter-connectedness of economics, environment, poverty, human rights, and peace, and organised an Alternative Conference on the environment to the UN Stockholm conference in 1972. Nhat Hanh continues to be concerned about such issues, as his recent book, 'The World We Have*', demonstrates. </p>
<p>His message is concerned with the impermanence of all things, and of using the knowledge of this to enable inner peace and promote international and environmental harmony.</p>
<p>Nhat Hanh 's Plum Village monks and nuns are clearly familiar with this logic. One monk spoke of leaving the US Army at the outbreak of the latest Iraq war in order to walk a Buddhist path and make both himself and the world more peaceful. Several of his army colleagues died on the front line just weeks after he had left. </p>
<p>One nun spoke about visiting the Order's highly successful monastery in Vietnam to help monastics facing physical violence from the country's Communist government. Another spoke about how the tools for greater mindfulness learned in Plum Village are also being used in a conflict mediation setting with visitors from Palestine.</p>
<p>A member of staff concluded: "Activism, beloved community, and 'inner peace' spirituality are not new to the global peace movement. Indeed, they are all quite 'in' right now. What is new. is how they come together in the lives of these monastics, and in their famous master's teachings. It is very encouraging to hear of young adults turning away from consumer individualism and getting into a radical activism grounded in beloved community and lived spirituality together. </p>
<p>"Who knows if it's the final answer to all the world's problems, but it's easy to see how such a model could be replicated even in urban settings. At a time when many religious traditions are reconnecting with mystical roots of faith, such a model needn't base itself just on Buddha dharma either. This Wake Up tour should turn out to be both a call to action and deeper loving faith everywhere for our country's young men and women."</p>
<p>[Ekk/4]</p>
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Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews BriefBuddhismBuddhist monksconflict resolutionFellowship of ReconcilationmindfulnessUK Newswar and peaceWed, 16 Mar 2011 22:00:16 +0000agency reporter14340 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukFormer Archbishop Carey under fire over arms trade commentshttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10200
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<p>The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, has drawn criticism for making comments supportive of the arms industry. He suggested on BBC television that Britain should be proud of being “particularly good at manufacturing tanks”.</p>
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<p>The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, has drawn criticism for making comments supportive of the arms industry. Speaking on BBC television, he suggested that Britain should be proud of being “particularly good at manufacturing tanks”. </p>
<p>His remarks have come at a sensitive time, with the London arms fair taking place this week and the government under attack for inviting regimes such as Libya and Saudi Arabia to send representatives to it.</p>
<p>The former Archbishop surprised viewers of BBC 1's <em>The Big Questions</em> by saying that “This country is particularly good at manufacturing tanks and one thing and another”. </p>
<p>When the presenter, Nicky Campbell, asked “Is it something to be proud of?”, Carey said “Yes, it is”. </p>
<p>Carey went on to emphasise that he believed in strict ethical controls on arms exports. However, the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) pointed out the flimsiness of the controls in operation at Europe's biggest arms fair – known formally as Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) – which is taking place at London's Excel Centre.</p>
<p>“Promoting and selling arms is not something to be proud of” said Chris Cole of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian NGO, “The UK’s pushing of arms around the globe endorses the underlying idea that violence is the way to solve the world’s problems”. </p>
<p>Cole, who was arrested on Monday (7 September) while peacefully protesting against preparations for the London arms fair, said that the UK government's promotion of the arms trade “makes me and many other people ashamed – not proud – to be British.”</p>
<p>Symon Hill, associate director of the religion and society thinktank Ekklesia, suggested that “many people will be surprised to hear a Christian leader encouraging pride in the manufacture of weapons whose purpose is to destroy and kill”.</p>
<p>“George Carey's comments seem particularly insensitive when arms traders are doing deals in the heart of east London with despotic regimes” said Hill, “If the government were to scrap subsidies for arms companies and put the money into developing technologies to tackle climate chaos, Britain could be at the forefront of an industry of which far more people would be proud”.</p>
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Beliefs and ValuesPeace and NonviolenceNews Briefarms fairarms tradecaatcampaign against arms tradeDSEiFellowship of ReconcilationGeorge CareyUK NewsThu, 10 Sep 2009 17:12:16 +0000staff writers10200 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk